Why I’m Not Scared of Hillary Clinton

With all the posting I’ve done about how much I loathe Donald Trump, I haven’t said much about the flip side of that coin. There’s certainly no lack of articles out there written to persuade everyone that Hillary Clinton is about as evil and corrupt as you can get. I’ve heard both sides use the “Lesser of two evils” argument to support why they’re voting for Trump or Clinton.

I disagree with that assessment. I don’t think this is a choice between two evil candidates, mainly because I reserve “evil” for special circumstances. And yes, I’d say that Trump qualifies as evil. Why? Because he actively espouses things I believe are evil. By his actions and his speech, he is actively making this country a worse place to live. I don’t need to listen to pundits tell me why what he’s saying is bad. All I have to do is listen to the words coming out of his mouth.

And that’s the big difference between Trump and Clinton. All the arguments I’ve heard about Clinton come down to reading between the lines. If you believe everything you read on Breitbart, then Clinton is a non-stop lying politician who’s done nothing but terrible things her whole time in office. But let’s be honest, folks. That’s standard operating procedure when it comes to today’s politics. Pro-Republicans paint Democrats as terrible people. Pro-Democrats do the same thing to Republicans.

Back in the 2012 election, I saw it happen firsthand with Romney. I’ve met Mitt Romney. He’s a friend of the family. I heard all the stores all the Democrats were spouting off about him, and I knew how off base they were. Romney had his binders of women, and Clinton has her basket of deplorables. For an opposing view of what Clinton’s “really like,” take a gander at this article.

Or shift this over to religion. I’ve heard any number of claims about Mormons. What we believe. How we act. What sinister things our leaders are up to. And once again, I personally know how worthless those claims are. Not just because I’m personally a Mormon, but more than that, I’m two degrees of separation from the highest ranks of church leadership. I don’t need to listen to some kook in a tinfoil hat tell me what church leaders believe or do behind closed doors. I can find that out for myself.

When it comes to normal politics, I’m much more interested in the policies people are supporting than what their opponents are claiming they’ve been up to. All the conspiracies and name calling is just fluff to distract from what actually matters.

“But wait!” You say. “If policies are all that matters, then why not just look at the policies Trump is for?”

Ah, but remember that disclaimer: “when it comes to normal politics.” Trump is very much not normal. I don’t believe he’s a real conservative for a moment, for one thing. I think he’s saying whatever he can to get as much attention as he can. And I based that wholly on what he actually says and does. I listen to him at rallies. I see how he treats people. I listen to him during debates and see his demeanor.

This isn’t a lesser of two evils choice. This is a choice between evil and a politician. They’re not the same thing, no matter what people desperate to stop Clinton from getting elected would have you believe.

But there are third party candidates!

Yes. Yes, there are. And I’m convinced the only reason we haven’t heard all the slimy terrible things those third party candidates have supposedly done is because the people with money haven’t felt like “exposing” them. They’re not “thoroughly vetted” yet. But might I turn your attention to this video? (Warning: language)

There are no perfect candidates. We choose from the options available to us. I cannot choose Trump. But don’t tell me Clinton is just as bad or worse. Or at least, if you’re going to tell me that, please give me some Koolaid so I can at least have a nice glass of sugary refreshment while you’re wasting my time.

What it comes down to is this: if you’ve personally had dealings with Hillary Clinton, or you can point me to speeches where she’s said awful, horrible things, then we can start to have a conversation about just how terrible she is. But if your sources are all second or third or fourth hand accounts, or news articles written to sell papers or attract eyeballs in today’s partisan environment, then I’m not going to give it the same sort of attention I give to original sources. This is Research 101, people. We teach it at the freshman level in college.

It’s even more glaring to me as an independent when the people saying all the bad things about Hillary are the same people who have been hollering about how terrible Obama’s been for the past 8 years. I don’t think the man’s been perfect, but I do think he’s done a good job as president.

And with that gallon or two of gasoline successfully poured on the fire, I’ll now head off to continue my regularly scheduled Wednesday activities.

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